Found grades in science achieved by tenth-grade general science students correlated with their scores on Propositional Logic Test. The students' ability level was consistently related to the pattern of errors they committed on that measure. Mean scores were lowest on a subtest of ability to use the bicondition and implication, higher on the…

Describes a teaching activity consisting of a problem-solving story about a company in a small town that is burying hazardous material which may create future problems for the community. The activity challenges students to address ethical issues relative to responsibility and accountability for protection of the water supply. (PR)

Presents a diagnostic teaching unit in general science designed to identify effective learning strategies for seventh-grade students with learning disabilities or behavior disorders. The unit is intended to identify effective strategies for students in reading comprehension, mathematics problem solving, and memory. Detailed instructions for four…

Educators who thoroughly investigate data, raise questions, examine student learning, test their hypotheses, and then share their findings are mirroring effective math and science instruction. Using collaborative inquiry, data teams can help improve teacher knowledge and help teachers change their practice in ways that will enhance student…

The Field Trip to the Moon program uses an inquiry-based learning approach that fosters team building and introduces students to careers in science and engineering. The program components include a DVD and classroom investigations. The compelling DVD (not included here) provides essential information about Earth and the Moon. The hands-on…

"Investigations in Math and Science AB" is an annual science elective for students in grades 7-12 in Los Angeles Unified School District. Section 1 of this guide provides teachers with a discussion of the course content, including the course description, representative objectives, required instructional units, and enrichment activities.…

This manual is designed to help agricultural education students and teachers to apply scientific facts and principles to problem-solving procedures in determining nutritious and economical livestock feeding programs. The manual provides applied scientific activities in biological science and chemistry, mathematics, and communication skills. It…

Designed to contribute to the growing effort to teach critical thinking skills, this guide provides teachers with (1) a simple, usable set of definitions for recall, analysis, comparison, inference, and evaluation; (2) brief explanations of three common forms of classroom assessment (oral questioning during instruction, paper and pencil objective…

When one encounters a problem that one has no adequate way of representing, a new mental model for the problem may have to be found. When a possible model is found, an important next step is to evaluate the validity of the model. In this document, examples of subjects finding and evaluating mental models used as problem representations are…

The problem-solving mode of teaching science implies change for teachers, administrators, state education departments, and other individuals charged with implementing educational innovation. This study provides a descriptive record and interpretation of the words and actions of an elementary school teacher beginning to learn about teaching science…

This research compared the performance of ninth grade females and males on flight protocol, with particular attention to interpretation of the graphs of paths of falling bodies, rolling objects, and projectiles. These subjects were chosen because they had received no formal instruction in projectile motion, yet through typical life experience, had…

Abstracts and abstractors' critiques of nine published research reports related to problem solving, elementary school science, science process skills, and curriculum and instruction are presented. Aspects addressed in the studies include: (1) problem-solving skills of high school chemistry students; (2) spatial puzzles and the assessment of…

Presented is a compilation of papers focusing on new questions and new directions for research in science education. Papers are grouped into one of three related fields of research: (1) analysis of curriculum materials, especially science textbooks; (2) investigations of science understandings of students and experts; and (3) investigations of the…

Presented is a report on a course for undergraduate students which is designed to increase their intellectual abilities early in their college careers. The report gives the characteristics of concrete thought and formal reasoning, followed by an explanation of the process involved in data collecting and the data itself. The authors suggest that…

The coauthor and developer of Logo (a computer programming language for children) describes (1) the changes in his responses to debates about computers in education, (2) some of the uses of the new LogoWriter in the classroom, and (3) how one fifth-grade class used LogoWriter in a biology unit. (IW)